Michigan football led NCAA in attendance for a third straight year

Michigan football is on top for a third straight season when it comes to home attendance.

The Wolverines averaged 111,589 fans per game at Michigan Stadium in 2017, topping fellow Big Ten schools Ohio State and Penn State, according to numbers released Tuesday by the NCAA.

Michigan totaled 669,534 fans during its six-game home schedule, according to the NCAA, including a season-high 112,432 during its Oct. 7 game against Michigan State.

It's been three straight years now -- since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach -- Michigan has led the nation in football attendance. The Wolverines averaged 110,468 fans per home game in 2016 and 110,168 in 2015.

This comes as average football attendance among all Football Bowl Subdivision schools drops. In 2017, FBS schools averaged 42,108 fans per game, a decrease of 962 from 2016.

When you factor in total attendance, including all home, road and neutral-site games, Michigan ranked sixth among all FBS schools with 1,140,358 during its 12-game regular season schedule and the Outback Bowl. Ohio State was No. 1, edging out Georgia and Alabama.